Liberal bias, even on Twitter

Short, but liberal. Those Tweets may be only 140 characters long, but they can lean to the left just as effectively as long form stories from the fanciest of mainstream media.

Liberal bias has invaded Twitter. A yearlong, software-aided study of millions and millions of tweets during the 2012 election by the Pew Research Center reveals that “in some instances, the Twitter reaction was more pro-Democratic or liberal than the balance of public opinion.”

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Such events as news of President Obama’s re-election predictably sparked happy tweets. They are good tools for serious agenda, and there is a near endless supply. The miniature missives are also quoted just as seriously as exclusives from political heavy hitters or analysts.

“While polls showed that most voters said Mitt Romney gave the better performance in the first presidential debate, Twitter reaction was much more critical of Romney, according to an analysis of social media reaction to the debate,” the study noted.

“This tilt to the Twitter conversation was evident throughout the fall campaign. In nearly every week from early September through the first week of November, the Twitter conversation about Romney was substantially more negative than the conversation about Obama.”